Ferrari 575 New Clutch, Every Service Record, Major Service Done, Immaculate on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Watch a Ferrari LaFerrari drift, almost crash at the Nurburgring

It's a fair bet that we could have just written the words "LaFerrari," "Nurburgring," "drifting" and "videos," and drawn just as many eyeballs as a proper bit of text. But, our bosses say four-word posts aren't okay, so here we are. Today, we have a pair of videos featuring the topics mentioned above. The first video, shown up top, is what most of us think we could do, were we handed the keys to a wildly powerful hybrid Ferrari and given access to the world's most famous race track. We'd drift about and generally have an absolute riot The second video, shown below, is what would actually happen were we given a LaFerrari on the Nurburgring – we'd go too slow and scare the hell out of ourselves. Give both videos a look. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Related Video:

Ferrari steering wheel may hold key to rocket F1 starts

Ferrari's brilliant getaways at the Australian Grand Prix were key to its early victory challenge – and could well be the result of a unique approach to new start restrictions that Giorgio Piola has uncovered. Although Mercedes locked out the front row of the grid in Melbourne, it was a sensational getaway from Sebastian Vettel that helped the German swoop into the lead by the first corner. As team boss Maurizio Arrivabene said: "The start was super. I have to say both of the drivers, they start like two rockets. After that they were able to take an advantage, and that was good for us." Such great starts from Ferrari are nothing new – just look at Hungary last year – but as Piola's exclusive drawing reveals, the team may well have taken things to an all-new level in ensuring it does not miss any detail in this area. In-built advantage As early as pre-season testing, rivals had been alerted about what Ferrari was capable of by monitoring data from Barcelona. Red Bull boss Christian Horner said: "We saw that in pre-season testing their starts have been really strong." Even ahead of the race, there were rumours that Ferrari knew it would excel in this area. Its decision to not do a second run in Melbourne's Q3 was mainly fuelled by its desire to save a set of super soft tyres for the race. But another suggestion also emerged – that the team knew just how good its starts were so securing the second row of the grid was good enough for it to believe it had a shout of the lead on the first lap. A single paddle As Piola's comparison of Ferrari's 2015 and 2016 steering wheel arrangement shows, the team has been the most aggressive in changing its clutch configuration for this year. New rules mean that drivers can only use a single hand on a single clutch paddle for the race start – even if teams choose to keep a double-paddle arrangement for emergencies. Ferrari has opted for something totally different to its main rivals by abandoning a double paddle arrangement (see red arrows on above left image). Instead, it has a single 'rocker' paddle that stretches all the way across the back of the wheel. Investing in such a dramatic design change clearly points to it having unlocked a decent performance advantage. The exact reasons for this configuration are unclear, but it may be that it allows the driver a greater feel for the clutch bite point – and means he is better able to judge how to deliver the perfect getaway.

F1 cars will have cockpit protection for the 2018 season

Formula 1's sanctioning body, the FIA, reported that the F1 Strategy Group decided chose the 2018 season to be the first to feature new cockpit technology to protect drivers. The decision was made to allow more time to develop the technology, instead of rushing it into use. The halo design being tested by Ferrari is still the most likely solution that uses a solid ring above and around the cockpit with a central pillar ahead of the driver. The F1 Strategy Group did say that they will be open to any other options that may develop in the coming year. Red Bull has also been developing a system that is closer to a wind-screen. The push to develop new safety technology came after Jules Bianchi's fatal crash with a recovery truck at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. His car slipped underneath the back of the truck leaving his head vulnerable in the impact. It is possible a device like the Halo could have prevented this, but in its current, it form wouldn't protect a driver from the sort of loose debris that hit Felipe Massa during qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix. Related Video: News Source: FIAImage Credit: FIA Motorsports Ferrari Safety Racing Vehicles F1 halo championship protection cockpit